Nyepi
Another major religious holiday that we must know and celebrate is Nyepi. The holiday which has another name, the Holy Day of silence, is a Hindu holiday which is celebrated every Caka New Year.
The Saka New Year calendar
This new year’s calendar is based on the Tilem Kesanga (IX) count which is considered the day of purification of the gods in the center of the ocean that carries the essence of living water. For Hindus, the Caka New Year or Nyepi Holy Day has a very deep meaning, namely as a day of resurrection, a day of renewal, a day of tolerance, a day of togetherness, a day of peace, and a day of national harmony. Nyepi comes from the word quiet (meaning silent, silent). Nyepi Day is a Hindu New Year celebration based on the calendar on the Caka calendar, which began in 78 AD. In the calculation of the Caka calendar, one year has 12 months and the first month is called Caitramasa.
A day of seclusion and silence
Unlike the New Year celebrations (every January 1st), the Caka New Year in Bali begins with seclusion and performing chess brata sepian and there are no activities as usual, aka prohibited and stopped during the Nyepi holiday. Nyepi was created based on a story from the Vedic scriptures which tells that at the beginning of the century AD and even before, India and the surrounding area were described as always experiencing crises and prolonged social conflicts.
The story behind the Caka New Year
At that time there were many clashes between ethnic groups (Caka, Pahiava, Yueh Chi, Yavana and Malaya) with alternating winning and losing conditions. The wave of power struggles between tribes in the end caused the religious life to oscillate. And the long dispute in the end Caka tribe became the winner under the leadership of King Kaniska I who was crowned King and descendants of Caka on 1 (one day after tilem) month 1 (caitramasa) year 01 Caka, in March 78 AD.
The meaning of Nyepi today
Thanks to the leadership of King Kanishka I who succeeded in uniting the warring nations with different religious beliefs. To commemorate the good things that happened under the leadership of King Kanishka I, the Holy Day of Silence was created. Since then, the life of the state, society and religion in India has been reorganized. The main purpose of Nyepi Day is to ask God Almighty to purify Bhuana Alit (human nature/microcosm) and Bhuana Agung (universe/macrocosmos).
